Dishwashing machine



DCC. 2, E D, WATT ET AL DI SHWASHING- MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1926 Georee lll/Conover S4 TTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTi OFFICE ELIHU D. WATT, OF LA GRANGE, AND GEORGE W. CONOVER, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS T0 THE CON OVER COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS DISHWASHIN G MACHINE Application led September 20, 1926. Serial No. 136,712.

This invention relates to centered and watertight mountings for motor shafts adapted to operate liquid containing machines.

This invention is especially adapted to dishwashing machines which are normally m ported and centered by a spider attached to the legs of the machine. During the operation of machines of this character, vibrations are set up which tend to cause movement of the legs and the supporting spider from their normal position. This movement will result in the displacement of the motor and its shaft in respect to the shaft of the inipelling or wateractuating device in the lower portion of the tank of the dishwashing machine. This displacement off-center is very undesirable and it will often prevent operation of the machine. In any case it will result in a rapid wearing down of the parts thereof and a short life period for the machine.

The object of this invention is to provide a centered and water-tight connection for washing machines which can be conveniently assembled and which will maintain permanent alignment of the driving elements and strength and rigidity of the static elements, especially during operation.

y The invention will be best understood if reference be made to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure y1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the center of the machine, and

Figure 2 is a sectional view `taken on the line v2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detailed showing of the connection between the motor shaft and the shaft of the water-actuating element within the machine.

Referring tothe drawing, 1 is the dish receptacle, 2 the dish tray -and 3 the legs of the machine. y

The dish tray l2 rests on the bottom of the i receptacle 1, and is raised at its center to afford room for an impeller 4 which operates to throw water with great force against dishes resting in said tray. The impeller is provided with helical threads 5 having terminal deflectors 6, and said threads 5 are disposed below the normal water line of the receptacle 1, while said deflectors 6 are disposed above that line, the water being lifted and fed to the deflectors by said threads and then hurled with high speed and great volume into the dish receptacle from which it returns to the bottom of the receptacle. The bottom of the receptacle is dished to insure maintenance of the required depth of water at its center.

The impeller 4; is driven by an electrical motor 7, the shaft 8 of this motor being aligned with the Shaft 9 of the impeller, and a torsion spring 10 beingy the means for uniting said shafts. The proximate ends of said shafts are flattened at 8a and 9a, and on these ends are fitted collets 11 and 12 which turn with said shafts and are provided with llanges 11a and 12a against which the ends of the spring 10 rest. The connection between the collets 11 and 12 and the spring 10 is more fully shown in Figure 3. The collet 12 may be fixed to the shaft 9, and the collet 11 may be free to move longitudinally on the shaft 8 to admit of disengagement of said shafts when the impeller is lifted and of engagement of the parts of the union when the impeller is lowered.

The motor 7 is centered and sustained by a spider 13 whose legs 14 are fastened to the legs3 of the machine by screws 15. This spider has an opening 16 through which the shaft of the motor extends, and this opening receives also the legs 17 of a second spider 18, these legs 17 having outwardly-turned ends 19. Screws 20 extending downward through holes 21 and 22 in the spider 13 and the ends 19, respectively, and engaging threads in the motor casing, firmly unite the spiders 13 and 18, and the motor 7, whereby the shaft 8 of the motor and the aligned shaft 9 and the impeller 4 will run true, and not be subject to lateral vibrations.

A further advantage of this construction is that it facilitates assembling of the parts, since the motor and its aligned shafts may be conveniently placed in .posit-ion relatively to the spider 13 and the spider 18, so that the screws 20 may be passed through the holes 2l and 22 and into the screw-threaded holes in the motor casing, thus, by the use of simple means, lixedly uniting said motor and said spiders. These parts may be thus assembled before or after the spider 13 is attached to the legs 3 of the machine, as desired.

The shaft 8 of the motor has a collar 23 which is secured thereto by a set screw 24 to admit of its adjustment longitudinally of said shaft, whereby the collet 11 and the spring 10 may be sustained in proper position.

The body portion of the spider 18, indicated by the numeral 25, has a hole 26 through which the impeller shaft 9 extends. The shaft 9 is surrounded by a sleeve 27 that is carried by the spider 18, and this sleeve is exteriorly threaded at 28 to receive a nut 29 which bears against the upper of two washers, 30, 31, between which the bottom of the receptacle 1 is clamped.

'll he body 32 of the impeller is hollow as shown at 33 to receive the upper end of the shaft 9 which is screw threaded at 34.- where it engages a screw-threaded socket of the impeller. A flange 35 on the shaft 9 constitutes a seat for the impeller when it is screwed down on the shaft.

The sleeve 27 is provided with a flange 36 disposed between the body portion 25 of the spider 18 and the lower washer 31, and this sleeve is interiorly threaded at 37 to receive a gasket 38 having exterior threads 39 and a hexagonal flange 40. The shaft 9 extends through the hole 41 of this gasket.

lt will thus be seen that the several elements arranged at the bottom of the receptacle 1, not only constitute a watertight joint, but that they operate to firmly unite said recepta cle and the spider 18, as well as to center the shaft 9 and preserve its alignment with the motor shaft 8.

lt will be noted that the depending body or apron 32 of the impeller will cover the upwardly extending journal 27 so that an air pocket will readily form in the open space therebetween. This pocket in addition to the clamping means by which the journal is tightly attached to the bottom of the tank will at all times insure a water-tight joint.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A dishwashing machine including a vertical receptacle for dishes elevated from the floor, supporting legs therefor rest-ing upon the floor, a rotary water propelling device disposed within said receptacle, a motor inferiorly and centrally disposed in respect to the receptacle having an upwardly extending shaft for driving said propelling device, a supporting spider for said motor, from the central part of which the motor is suspended and which is provided with outwardly and downwardly extending arms, the outer ends of said arms being attached to the supporting legs of the receptacle, and a rigid one-piece centralizing member for said shaft disposed between said motor and said receptacle and connected to the central portion of said spider, to the central portion of the bottom of said receptacle and to the central portion of the top of said motor and embracing said upwardly extending shaft.

2. A dishwashing machine including a vertical receptacle for dishes elevated from the floor, supporting legs therefor attached to the sides thereof resting upon the floor, a rotary water propelling device disposed within said receptacle, a motor inferiorly and centrally disposed in respect to the receptacle having an upwardly extending shaft for driving said propelling device, a spider for supporting said motor, from the central part of which the motor is suspended and which is provided with outwardly and downwardly extending arms, the outer ends of said arms being attached to the supporting legs of the receptacle substantially below their point of attachment to the sides of the tank, and a second spider of smaller lateral dimension than vertical for centralizing said shaft disposed between said motor and said receptacle, and secured to the central portion of said supporting spider and to the central portion of the bottom of said receptacle.

3. ln a li uid tight and centered driving connection or a washing machine, a tank adapted to hold a body of liquid with depending leg members, a liquid actuating member centrally disposed in the lower part of said tank, a downwardly-extending vertical shaft attached to said liquid actuating member, a tubular bearing for said shaft secured to the bottom of the tank so as to form a watertight joint therewith and extending upwardly1 within the tank, a supporting spider attached to the depending legs, a motor centrally supported below the tank by the spider, said spider being attached to the depending legs at a point below its point of attachment to the motor casing, an upwardly-extending vertical motor shaft, a driving connection between said motor shaft and said liquid actuating shaft, and a centering member attached to said motor casing and connected to said tubular bearing enclosing said motor shaft.

4. ln a driving assembly for a dishwashing machine provided with a vertical tank elevated from the floor and forming a washing chamber, a draining bottom therefor provided with a central perforation, and symmetrically positioned legs attached to the side of the tank and adapted to support the tank upon the floor, said driving assembly being adapted to be attached to the legs and to the edges of the central perforation and comprising a vertical tubular bearing adapted to extend upwardly into the washing chamber and provided with a horizontally flanged portion adapted to be attached to the edges of the lill perforation, a motor with an upwardly extending shaft, said 'motor being connected tothe vertical tubular bearing with its shaft centered with said tubular bearing and adapted to be positioned centrally below the center of the tank, and a supporting spider, to the central part of which the top of the motor is belted', with a number of outwardly and downwardly extending arms the outer ends of which are adapted to be attached to the legs a substantial distance below their point of attachment to the tank.

5. In a driving assembly for a dishwashing machine providedwith a vertical tank elevated from the floor and forming a washing chamber, a draining bottom therefor provided with a central perforation, and symmetrically positioned legs attached to the side of the tank and adapted to support the tank upon the floor, said driving assembly being adapted to beattached to the legs and to the edges of the central perforation and comprising a vertical tubular bearing adapted to extend upwardly into the washing chamber and provided at its lower end with a horizontally flanged portion adapted to be connected to the'edges of the perforation,

a. motor with an upwardly extending shaft, a one-piece rigid centerin member of much smaller horizontal dimension than the diameter of the tank, the upper end of which is rigidly connected to t e lower end of the vertical tubular bearing and the lower end of which is attached to the top of the motor, so as to position the motor with its shaft centered with said tubular bearing and with its body centrally positioned below the center of the tank, and a supporting spider with a number of outwardly and downward-V ly extending arms, the outer ends of which are adapted to be attached to the legs a substantial distance below their point of attachment to the tank, the centerin member,

the central portion of the supporting spider.

and the top of the motor body being bolted together.

6. In a driving assembly for a dishwashtures.

ELIHU D. WATT. GEORGE W. CONOVER.

ing lmachine provided with a vertical tank elevated from the floor and forming a washing chamber, a draining bottom therefor provided with a erforation, and' means attached to the ta to support the tank upon the oor, said driving assembly being adapted to be attached to the supporting means and "to the edges of the perforation and com# prising a vertical tubular bearing adapted to extend upwardly into the washlng chainber and provided with a. horizontal shelf ada ted to be connected to the edges of the perfbration, a motor with an upwardly extending shaft, said motor bein rigidly connected to the vertical tubular earing with its shaft centered with said tubular bearing and being positioned below the tank, and a supporting spider provided with a central 

